Blount could hang around awhile with Patriots

Sunday

Aug 11, 2013 at 6:37 PM

FOXBORO — After the way he played in his first game in a Patriots uniform, it would seem safe for LeGarrette Blount to begin looking to find his own place to live. It looks as if he could stay around for...

By PAUL KENYON

FOXBORO — After the way he played in his first game in a Patriots uniform, it would seem safe for LeGarrette Blount to begin looking to find his own place to live. It looks as if he could stay around for a while.

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The fourth-year running back, who came to New England in a trade with Tampa, has been living with teammate Aqib Talib. The two were teammates with the Bucs. When Talib learned the Pats had obtained Blount in late April, Talib called and offered him a room at his place.

“Oh, that’s my man! That’s my dawg! That’s my homie! He took me right in,” Blount responded enthusiastically when asked about Talib’s hospitality. “He was like, ‘For sure, I got you a room already.’ I stayed with him throughout OTAs and throughout everything. He is helping me a lot. He is a real close friend of mine.”

Blount said the two have been having a great time, making his transition to New England easy. Talib is one of the Pats’ most outgoing personalities. But he insists Blount is even more outgoing than he is.

It was not a surprise, then, that Talib was one of the leaders of the reception party Friday night as Blount returned to the bench after scoring on a wild 51-yard run during New England’s 31-22 decision over the Eagles Friday night. That run gave New England fans a great first impression of Blount, who appeared to be fighting for a job.

Blount’s personality came through when he described how he saw the play.

“It was an outside zone (run). They had it protected pretty well and I saw a big lane, and a lot of green grass on the other side,” he said of his cutback to the right side. “So I took it. Then I saw a lot of pursuit, so I took it back (to the left side). It just happened to be a lot of green grass when I went back. I just put my head back and hopefully got in the end zone.”

The 250-pounder, who is supposed to be a bruising inside power guy, not the type of guy who is supposed to cut back against the grain, raced 51 yards for the touchdown, making it a longer run than any the Patriots had all last season. He ended it in style, with a somersault into the end zone.

“You’ve got to show a little pizzazz,” he said with a smile.

He has not been around long, but he has been here long enough to know that coach Bill Belichick might not always be thrilled with such improvisation.

“I know it,” Blount said of Belichick’s desire for discipline. “If you do it and you get tackled for a loss, you get cussed at and yelled at. If it happens to turn into a touchdown, there isn’t much that can be said.”

By the end of the game, Blount had carried 11 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He looks like a great pickup. He was obtained in a trade for track star Jeff Demps, with the Pats also receiving a seventh-round pick in the deal. Blount, a Florida native who played collegiately at Oregon, spent three years with Tampa Bay. He got off to a great start, piling up 1,007 yards in 201 carries with six touchdowns in 2100. He slipped to 781 yards in 2011, but still had a solid average of 4.2 yards per carry, down from his 5-yard average as a rookie.

Last year, the Buccaneers drafted Doug Martin in the first round and Martin became one of the top rookies in the league, running for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns and totaling 1.926 yards. Blount was out of a job. He had only 41 carries for 151 yards. Obviously, the team felt he was expendable and dealt him to the Pats for a player who never even played for them. Demps has gone back to running track.

Blount is not assured a job. Stevan Ridley is the lead back and he got off to a great start Friday night. Shane Vereen is back, too, and he figures to help more than ever, especially coming out of the backfield catching passes, as he did in scoring his touchdown against the Eagles. Brandon Bolden, who has been a solid backup, returns. Veteran Joe Washington was brought in to return kicks but he has spent time working out of the backfield, as well.

All that does not include fullbacks James Develin and Ben Batholomew and rookie George Winn, so there is a lot of competition. Some years the team has kept four running backs, other times five.

“I just add fuel to the fire. They already had a successful group of backs before I came here,” Blount said.

He is different because of his size. He is listed at 6-feet, 250 pounds, but he looks even bigger. He was asked Friday night if those numbers were accurate, and he just smiled.

“I’m a big dude. Everybody sees it,” he said..

Blount certainly hopes to be around for the entire season. As much as it has been fun living with Talib, he said he is ready to move out.

“I’ve got to get my own place,” he said. “He’s got to have his privacy. I’ve got to have mine. After awhile, you start clashing and butting heads.”

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